Here’s an undeniable truth I’ve learned over the years: When one chapter ends, another is right around the corner. That’s especially true now for me and the National Electrical Contractors Association.

Jim Dollard has an extensive background in codes and standards. If you have a query about the National Electrical Code (NEC), Jim will help you solve it. Send questions to codefaqs@gmail.com. Answers are based on the 2017 NEC.
Kitchen GFCIs

A friend recently sent me an email with this picture (right) of a manual fire alarm pull station mounted on the side of an electrical panelboard. My friend was inspecting the fire alarm system and was accompanied by the electrician who had installed both the fire alarm and electrical systems.

After 15 years of rural living on a small farm in Southern California, my wife and I recently moved back into the city. Now, as we walk around our neighborhood, we are often reminded that we live in one of the smartest “smart cities” in the world: Santa Monica, Calif.

With the constant emphasis on workplace safety from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, it’s easy to forget the hazards that exist in our everyday lives. In fact, people are six times more likely to suffer an injury away from work.

Construction activity in many regional markets has heated up to the point that some areas are experiencing worker shortages. In the midst of such a boom, it is easy to forget that, for every boom, there is a bust.

While restoration of Puerto Rico’s electrical transmission and distribution systems following Hurricane Maria was still in its early stages, Gov. Ricardo Rossello pledged to have power restored to 95 percent of the commonwealth’s citizens within two months. The U.S.

December 4-6, Chicago played host to the North American Climate Summit in concert with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. There, city leaders signed the "Chicago Charter," an agreement that broadly echoes the Paris climate agreement in establishing carbon emissions reductions.

According to new information from the annual State of the Industry survey conducted by Klein Tools, Lincolnshire, Ill., electricians continue to be in high demand, and most in the industry are not concerned that the rise of new technologies will significantly impact job security.

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Featured Writer

Michael Johnston

Executive Director of Standards, NECA

Michael Johnston is NECA’s executive director of standards and safety. He is chair of the NEC Technical Correlating Committee. He served as a principal representative on NEC CMP-5 representing IAEI for the 2002, 2005, and 2008 cycles and is currently the chair of CMP-5, representing NECA for the 201